Rheem Water Heater Questions

I have a Rheem Water heater in my property. It was installed 2 years ago. About a month ago the combustion shutoff device tripped. In order to make it work temporarily a bolt was stuck in the device to allow it to work (after cleaning out the lint...). Not exactly safe, but a stop gap measure.

The problem is this. After trying to get a hold of Rheem (which is a huge hassle, 57 minute on hold to speak to a tech rep). I am told that essentially they will only allow a Rheem authorized tech to install a replacement. They will not send the part out to anyone else. And since there is no Rheem authorized tech in my area, they can't help me. I will need to replace the water heater.

Wow, It will be a cold day in heck before I buy another product from these people. They don't care, they have a crappy product with no support.

Question. Is there a way I can get this part from somewhere else? Has anyone else had this problem with Rheem? What are some options other than replacing a perfectly good H2O heater?